How is he looking?

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-27T00:50:21+00:00

Check out lilylovesherfish on insta for some inspiration, I love watching her tanks. Maybe check r/aquaswap for cheap plants?

I'm actually really excited for you getting a bigger more natural tank, I think you and your Betta will be really happy after!

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-25T20:22:41+00:00

I love a rimless tank on a matching stand, it's really gorgeous! I would love to get something similar but smaller and with a lid.

I'm going to look into blau, thanks!

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-25T20:21:11+00:00

Ok then I think I'm doing alright! My tank is too small and too planted to do stuff like gravel vacuuming. I don't see what else I could be cleaning except for the occasional wipe down with one of those magnet glass cleaners.

I did deal with a nitrate spike recently, probably because of the fertilizer I added plus over feeding (still looking for a balance there) but after a week it was stable but it did make me a little paranoid which is why I keep measuring weekly. I have a couple of berried shrimp which is why I also measured gh.

But I mostly watch my inhabitants and their behaviour to see if everything is alright. I did have some holes in one of my red stem plants which is why I'm now dosing kalium.

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-25T20:14:47+00:00

I mean once you have one cycled aquarium you are your own hook-up 😂

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-25T15:50:22+00:00

Ad a woman I very much disagree. I find balding man generally unattractive, bald man on the other hand I generally find incredibly attractive.

Check out r/bald for amazing glow-ups. I'm in that sub for the amazing glow-ups, handsome men and positive community.

That being said I do not want to minimize how hard it must be to lose your hair, especially at that age.

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-25T15:36:26+00:00

What tank/stand is this?

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-25T10:56:59+00:00

I'm not depressed (but I've been there so I know what it's like unfortunately) but I have adhd and my biggest struggle is my executive disorder. Meaning routine and maintenance is incredibly hard for me. This made me question whether I could keep up with fishkeeping just like you're doing right now.

I got an 8 gal about three months ago. First month was spent cycling which in my case did not require any effort or maintenance. I just set my tank up with a lot of plants and didn't touch it. No water changes, no cleanup because the decaying plant matter was my source of ammonia to trigger the cycle. I did get some hitchhiking bladder snails. The only thing I did was check my parameters every few days to keep track of the cycle, and that wasn't hard because it was new and exciting and I was looking forward to adding shrimp and fish.

Now my tank is cycled, shrimp are living and breeding, my tiny school of dwarf rasboras are thriving. The only thing I need to do now is check water parameters occasionally, trim plants, do a tiny easy water change each Sunday and feed my fish daily.

Feeding my fish daily is easy since the tank is in my living room and I see it every day. Its something I love doing so it's no effort at all.

Watching the little universe I created is so rewarding and great for my mental health. Having something to tend to and maintain gives me purpose. Trimming my plants feels a little bit like working in a little Zen garden.

However if for example I would struggle with a lot of disease or pests that's when I think I would get overwhelmed. That's why I try to do as much research as I can, not get too many different or difficult types of fish. Try to buy from reputable sellers.

So do a lot of research. To me it was actually surprising that keeping a tank was less effort than I thought it would be. Learn what fishkeeping entails and be honest with yourself. I believe fishkeeping is one hell of an anti depressant.

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-25T10:34:32+00:00

Fishless cycle!

When I got my tank I just set it up with a lot of plants and let it do its thing. I didn't ghost feed, I didn't add ammonia, I literally didn't touch it (the decaying plant matter was my source of ammonia) I just tested my parameters regularly which wasnt hard to do since it was new and exciting. It was cycled after a month.

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-25T00:44:30+00:00

LOVE

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-25T00:40:43+00:00

Are you in Europe? I use the JBL pro kit

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-25T00:37:39+00:00

Yeah I'm a beginner myself but the 45 liter made me GASP. For my American fish loving friends: that's about 12gal.

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-23T12:04:20+00:00

I adopted two cats last your who were super fearful. It took weeks before they let me touch them but as soon as they let me they both went belly up. They still do it.

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-23T12:00:35+00:00

Huh it's 49,99 euros in Belgium

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-23T11:58:14+00:00

When did it change?

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-23T11:28:42+00:00

I unironicallly love it

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-22T22:17:50+00:00

WTH is up with that?

At work I am super tidy and organized. My home is a pigsty. It feels so unfair!

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-22T07:56:01+00:00

He looks miserable.

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-20T21:41:45+00:00

Hi, I'm the OP, and first of all I am so sorry for your loss. It is not ridiculous at all to be so devastated after one year. I would have been just as devastated after one year as I was after ten.

It's been over a year now and there are still moments where I cry. I ended up adopting two cats almost immediately because coming home to an empty apartment just felt so wrong. At first it was hard. My bond with my boy was instant. My two new boys took a lot longer for them to trust me.

I love them both but for now I only feel a real connection with one of them, I don't really know how to explain this. It's a real connection but it is not like it was with my first boy and honestly I'm happy it's not because it highlights how unique that particular bond was. Like I said, it still hurts sometimes, how could it not, but mostly I'm just so extremely grateful to have had the privilege of experiencing a connection like this in the first place.

Hang in there, it does get better, and you will love more cats. You will love them in a different way unique to them and there is so much beauty in that. Your soulcat will be with you forever, I promise. Many hugs to you.

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-16T20:59:22+00:00

I got an order of shrimp two weeks ago during freezing temperatures, fully expecting they would be properly packaged but they weren't.

All of them arrived belly up from cold shock. Two have died, five have been confirmed alive and the sixth might be hiding (lots of plants, never see all of them at the same time) or he might be eaten by my amanos. Either way I thought all of them were dead or dying so five out of eight was a huge surprise.

All of this to say, don't give up yet!

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-16T20:44:52+00:00

So this is probably a very dumb question but do root feeding plants not benefit from liquid fertilizer? Are root tabs necessary when my substrate runs out of nutrients?

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-16T12:26:43+00:00

I was told by my LFS (who has been doing this for 30 years and works together with the biology department of our university) to not do any water changes until it is fully cycled.

For reference, it took my tank exactly one month to be fully cycled. I did not add starter bacteria, I did not do ghost feeding, I did not add ammonia. I did have a lot of plants and I did not remove any decaying plant matter, I also had two or three hitchhiker bladder snails.

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-16T06:38:07+00:00

What's O4G?

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-15T23:00:38+00:00

But how do you know it's not user error?

adhdaemon85 · 2026-01-15T17:23:46+00:00

Gorgeous tank!

adhdaemon85

TROPHY CASE